And in Detroit we’ll look forward to ...

By
Gary Graff, The Oakland Press

Monday, January 6, 2014

Here’s what some of Detroit’s leading music icons have planned for the new year.

— Techno beat-down: A new pair of electronic music events — a fresh (and free) Detroit Electronic Music Festival in Campus Martius Park and the Federation of Electronic Music Technology at Ford Field — will debut during the Fourth of July weekend, but Memorial Day’s reigning Movement isn’t going anywhere and has, in fact, responded with an unprecedented early announcement of its lineup. Game on ...

— Eminem: With plenty of life left in the chart-topping “Marshall Mathers LP 2,” the rapper is headed to Australia for four shows in February — hopefully (and probably) not the last we’ll see of him on stage this year.

— The Four Tops: The venerable Motown group will celebrate its 60th anniversary this year with a memoir from lone surviving original member Abdul “Duke” Fakir and a stage musical that may be cast via a reality TV show and then open in Las Vegas.

— Aretha Franklin: Recording has begun on the Queen of Soul’s next album, a covers set featuring her versions of songs made famous by other female performers, which Franklin hopes to have out during the first half of the year.

— Kid Rock: He promises a new album in 2014, following 2012’s “Rebel Soul.” He’ll tell us more when he decides we need to know.

— Ted Nugent: The gonzo guitar god is also working on a set of new material, his first since 2007’s “Love Grenade.”

— Smokey Robinson: The Motown stalwart is recording a duets album with former “American Idol” judge Randy Jackson producing. Partners include John Legend and Jessie J, with more to be revealed soon.

— Bob Seger: Still recording and still talking about a new album. And we’re still hopin’...